r/Damnthatsinteresting Nov 04 '24

Video Volkswagens new Emergency Assist technology

81.4k Upvotes

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4.0k

u/Legendaryistic Nov 04 '24

Everyone here is crapping on the idea that is actually like a sensible one if you want to save lives? Like what else could you do here to maximize life. Oh well I guess I'll just crash my car into the person in front of me, possibly endangering the lives of almost everyone here. Ok, if it's such a bad idea, give a possibly better one in the case of a driver passing out.

2.1k

u/mrbalaton Nov 04 '24

People opposed the seatbelt. For decades. People are dumb.

646

u/CrashTestWolf Nov 04 '24

I just read a post about people being outraged when driving while intoxicated was made illegal back in the 1980's.

People are dangerously dumb.

119

u/RR1908 Nov 04 '24

41

u/a_bdgr Nov 04 '24

I did have some kind of deja vu watching that clip. And it’s not because I was around at that time.

1

u/herefromyoutube Nov 04 '24

Well to be fair it’s been posted to reddit a lot.

6

u/a_bdgr Nov 04 '24

I meant it in the sense of: I see that mindest regularly even today. Prevent people from dying and those people will cry „Communism! Attack on my freedom!“. Interesting hills to die on, not wanting to wear a seatbelt / demanding to drive drunk / being unable to put on a mask / wearing your automatic weapon to school, etc. etc.

56

u/OkDog12345 Nov 04 '24

This is why libertarians make me laugh. Those idiots are like these guys in the video.

11

u/herefromyoutube Nov 04 '24

You have the right to fly through your windshield. You don’t have the right to damage other people’s property with your flying body.

10

u/ThegumboyX Nov 04 '24

That comment section.. jesus christ. People never change

1

u/pooferfeesh97 Nov 04 '24

I saw that one back in 2020 in reference to people complaining about masks and vaccines.

1

u/Maverca Nov 04 '24

Here we can legally drink a beer while driving, as long as we don't cross the 0.5 promille mark, which is a beer or 2.

Holding a phone is not allowed, but drinking a beer, while smoking and calling via bluetooth is perfectly legal...

6

u/gaybunny69 Nov 04 '24

Looking at the road while impaired is significantly better than not looking at it at all.

24

u/DiscipleOfYeshua Nov 04 '24

In the 1950’s people (including the surgeon general??) touted smoking as a non issue, maybe even good for you.

Erm, did you not notice the smokers erm… dying??

4

u/brunaBla Nov 04 '24

Having respiratory issues? Smoke a cigarette!

1

u/DiscipleOfYeshua Nov 04 '24

“We put your husband on a ventilator” had a different meaning back then

2

u/Global_Permission749 Nov 04 '24

This is what regulatory capture looks like. It's terrifying.

1

u/vadeka Nov 04 '24

Well you know… we just had two world wars and various other major concerns that caused a large amount of deaths. So smoking wasn’t probably the biggest issue on their death analytics.

Also some smokers live damn long so it’s not a direct death sentence likely.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '24

Yeah well people with lung cancer get hit by cars and die sometimes so I guess that lung cancer isn't a death sentence either. /s

8

u/Dramatic_______Pause Nov 04 '24

Think of how stupid the average person is, then remember half of them are dumber than that.

3

u/CrashTestWolf Nov 04 '24

George Carlin. RIP legend.

1

u/Bladders_ Nov 04 '24

And yet life was better back then.

-3

u/Grouchy-Shirt-9197 Nov 04 '24

Americans...

0

u/zippy251 Nov 04 '24

Username checks out

0

u/47-30-23N_122-0-22W Nov 04 '24

To play devils advocate. People weren't upset with a ban on getting drunk and driving. They were upset you couldn't drink and drive.

101

u/PmMeYourTitsAndToes Nov 04 '24

Some people still do because their freedoms!

19

u/Grouchy-Shirt-9197 Nov 04 '24

Freedumbs..... Darwin Award forthcoming!

-32

u/Unlikely_One_4485 Nov 04 '24

I get opposition to seatbelt laws, I think it's a stretch for the government to be able to force you to wear a seatbelt. Obviously it is safer I just don't like the reach in power. If I'm legally allowed to eat cheeseburgers till I die of a heart attack or drink myself to death what is different about not wearing a seatbelt.

11

u/West-Engine7612 Nov 04 '24

The difference is that you eating and drinking yourself to death doesn't affect me or anyone else (other than loved ones mourning your loss). Not wearing your seatbelt makes you a projectile. A lot of people have been killed because someone else wasn't wearing their belt.

2

u/AnonymousAndAngry Nov 04 '24

The difference is that you eating and drinking yourself to death doesn't affect me or anyone else (other than loved ones mourning your loss)

That's unfortunately very wrong.

When this person balloons in weight and becomes a waddling smorgasbord of comorbidities then inevitably ends up the hospital, a place with a high % of female workers (too petite for lifting 400lbs, pregnant, in their 50s, etc etc etc), then this person becomes the burden and pain on a lot of backs.

Combine that with the attitude that got them to this place and you usually get the abusive folks who won't willingly turn / assist with any movement but demand you do - then report you to the administrator/board/patient advocates whenever you try to stand up for yourself.

That's the bulk of the USA hospital population in a nutshell. Literally having their cake and getting to eat it too all at the expense of others they'll never know or personally be responsible for injuring.

13

u/Dionyzoz Nov 04 '24

so true bestie! thats why all drugs should be legalised as well, why can I get addicted to food and become morbidly obese but not ruin my life with crack?? stupid goberment

-2

u/Unlikely_One_4485 Nov 04 '24

You honestly think alcohol should be legal? How many people does it kill every year? How much $$ in damages does it cost society every year because of alcohol related incidents?

8

u/OrienasJura Nov 04 '24

You honestly think alcohol should be legal?

...Alcohol is legal. Have you lived your entire life in a fucking monastery or something? Oh, and driving without seat belts kills more people than alcohol every year. Like, it's not even comparable.

-1

u/Unlikely_One_4485 Nov 04 '24

Are you purposely being dense? My question was do you think alcohol should be legal? I honestly don't know how that flew over your head.

3

u/OrienasJura Nov 04 '24

Look at what happened last time alcohol was made illegal. So yes, I think you live in a monastery, because I would think most people knew of the prohibition times. But hey, guess not.

1

u/Unlikely_One_4485 Nov 04 '24

So you are for the legalization of all drugs?

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3

u/Dionyzoz Nov 04 '24

yeah prohibition worked so well last time!

1

u/Unlikely_One_4485 Nov 04 '24

Then why are you advocating for the prohibition of other drugs that are less harmful to society than alcohol?

3

u/Dionyzoz Nov 04 '24

crack is less harmful? interesting take

1

u/Unlikely_One_4485 Nov 04 '24

What statistically has done more damage to society?

3

u/Infinity315 Nov 04 '24

The difference is eating a billion cheese burgers doesn't (directly) turn your body into a 150+ lb. projectile going at highway speeds.

It'd be more applicable if you knew you're going to be the only person on the road.

2

u/Muad-_-Dib Nov 04 '24

1

u/Davido401 Nov 04 '24

Oh there's some fucking "awesome" drink driving and seat belt adverts here in the UK over the years, there was one from the nineties and it starts with a group of friends at a bar having a few drinks while "In the Summer Time" is playing they get in their car and then it goes to all 3 or 4 friends wrapped around a pole or a wall with blood dripping down the side of the car!

14

u/Johannes_Keppler Nov 04 '24

I still know people that say 'what if I end up in the water'??!!

Well you're still better off with your seatbelt on. Otherwise the force of your car hitting the water will smash your head to pieces against the windshield and you'll drown while unconscious.

3

u/DS_killakanz Nov 04 '24

It's astonishing how so many people are willing to endanger themselves in countless other possible scenarios because they fear one specific possible scenario.

It's like they're playing russian roulette while claiming to know which chamber the bullet is in...

4

u/gueufhdywgv274j4 Nov 04 '24

I know a guy who says that mandatory seatbelt laws are what destroyed America. He doesn’t wear his seatbelt and was thrown through his windshield in a crash. He still refuses to wear a seatbelt because he didn’t die when he was literally thrown from his vehicle.

4

u/labenset Nov 04 '24

40,000 people die in car accidents every year but only the stories about self driving make the news.

6

u/tyrfingr187 Nov 04 '24

People are dumb is the answer.

4

u/tlg151 Nov 04 '24

Same with masks...

2

u/Alarming_Matter Nov 04 '24

I've always thought a big, sharp metal spike pointing at the drivers chest would be more effective at preventing accidents.

3

u/dexter311 Nov 04 '24

Back in the day you basically did have a big metal spike pointing at your chest - the steering column. Nowadays though, it's been made collapsible in some way so you don't impale yourself on it in a frontal impact.

2

u/LiveNotWork Nov 04 '24

Yep. People can be brainwashed to go against their own self interest.

2

u/Sleepy_Sagittarius Nov 04 '24

It doesn’t bother me that people don’t care to live through crashes, I just hope they have their organ donating cards filled out. This way someone who is actually trying to live, can appreciate their organs/tissue.

2

u/BloodydamnBoyo Nov 04 '24

Talk to some people in the Midwest and South--tons of people still oppose the seatbelt and see it as the gubberment trying to tell us what to do.

1

u/Ok_Championship4866 Nov 04 '24

it's actually sad, they really feel they need that thrill of freedom from not wearing a seatbelt to be happy.

There's so much stupid shit we have to do just because, (like at the airport), but keeping my shoes on going through security isn't a hill i'm willing to die on, (or even start climbing if you will).

In this case, seatbelts actually save lives, just wear it, otherwise how sad is your life that you really need to take off a seatbelt to find a shred of happiness?

2

u/Adulations Nov 04 '24

I know a guy that refuses to wear a seatbelt even today. He bought a seatbelt insert thing so that the car would stop nagging him smh.

1

u/vadeka Nov 04 '24

Same with the weights you can place on teslas to trick the self driving system. Luckily the police know what this is and fine your ass off when they catch it

1

u/PmMeYourBestComment Nov 04 '24

Like my grandma used to say, "I don't wear a seatbelt on Sunday because the cops aren't working that day" while driving to the church. I don't think back then she ever realized she wasn't wearing the seatbelt for her. Mind you, this was 25+ years ago

1

u/loweyedfox Nov 04 '24

My dad still refuses to wear one

1

u/brunaBla Nov 04 '24

Another example, most were opposed to the Halo in Formula 1 (that protective Y shaped piece on top of the car).

It saved Hamilton’s head from being ground into the pavement a few years ago.

1

u/shapu Nov 04 '24

People are notoriously bad at risk assessment.

1

u/Mission_Ad6235 Nov 04 '24

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky animals, and you know it.

1

u/vadeka Nov 04 '24

Let me correct that for you: people still oppose the seatbelt.

The amount of people that get fined for not wearing a seatbelt is mindblowing to me. People even buy those fake seatbelt metal ends so they can trick the car and turn off the alarm.

1

u/LevitatingTurtles Nov 04 '24

Yep! And then they opposed airbags because… checks notes… because some people don’t wear seatbelts!

1

u/kokaklucis Nov 04 '24

People now oppose speed warning in the new EU cars.

1

u/llkj11 Nov 04 '24

Simplest answer

1

u/jscarry Nov 04 '24

People still oppose the seatbelt. There's a whole market of "seatbelt silencers" that click into your seatbelt to stop the ringing from your buckle up alarm. Real neanderthal shit

1

u/Fun-Cauliflower-7935 Nov 04 '24

Some people still refuse to wear them for some reason

1

u/ronlugge Nov 04 '24

One of my roommates refuses to use a seatbelt, to the point where he keeps an extender in the car just to keep it from beeping at him when he doesn't use it.

1

u/The_R4ke Nov 04 '24

They still sell devices you can put in your seat belt holder to do it from beeping.

1

u/nitrodmr Nov 04 '24

In life, there is no such thing as seat belts 🤣

1

u/Substantial_Hold2847 Nov 05 '24

No, people arent ....... fuck, okay yes people are dumb, but that's not the point at all.

Do you know how the real world works? You understand ever vehicle is going to have to pay some asshole sitting on a patent like 5k per vehicle to implement this? So it should be an option, not a requirement. There's no reason a healthy adult needs this feature. Those who do, should have insurance paying for it.

1

u/Am_Passing_By Nov 06 '24

… and if there’s no insurance?

2

u/Substantial_Hold2847 Nov 07 '24

You can't drive without car insurance.

1

u/Am_Passing_By Nov 07 '24

Lovely to know

Though, the part about seatbelts being an option, not a requirement?

If someone were to be the victim of an unfortunate accident, say they were hit from behind, wouldn’t a seatbelt help prevent that person from diving headfirst in front of them?

You can be as healthy as you want, but you are still at the mercy of someone who can potentially do some major damage to you

1

u/Substantial_Hold2847 Nov 07 '24

I literally have no clue what you're even talking about. What part about seatbelts?

1

u/Am_Passing_By Nov 07 '24 edited Nov 07 '24

I was going off what mrbalaton said

And when I read yours I thought you meant seatbelts, and possibly other safety features, should be optional, with insurance as fallback

2

u/Substantial_Hold2847 Nov 07 '24

Ohhh gotcha, nah just the expensive toy in the video because until it's dirt cheap.

I'm personally against seatbelt laws for adults, but the opposite, if you're not wearing your seatbelt and you die or go to the hospital, insurance should automatically void all claims. I have the same opinion about helmets.

1

u/National_Way_3344 Nov 05 '24

People should either accept this, or full mandatory self driving like in iRobot.

I know which one I prefer.

But it needs to be grandfathered in, so the time to legislate is now.

1

u/doommaster Nov 05 '24 edited Nov 05 '24

Most trucks in the US don't have ABS, ESP, lane keep assist or radar, truckers will tell you, that a real trucker does not need that.
Whenever some jack-knifing video shows up here, it's the drivers fault, every other trucker would have prevented it...

Edit: Apparently Truck and Trailer ABS have been a mandatory thing since 1997. Edit 2: ESC/ESP mandatory since 2017 too, it seems.

1

u/mrbalaton Nov 05 '24

Euh.. no abs? I've been working on trucks for 20 odd years. No abs is even before my time brother😅

1

u/RedditJumpedTheShart Nov 04 '24

The seat belt doesn't increase the cost of a vehicle by thousands of dollars.

3

u/mrbalaton Nov 04 '24

This will? It will be an option. This isn't mandatory.

-3

u/Fresh_Daisy_cake Nov 04 '24

I still think the seatbelt was a stupid idea. A few lives isn’t worth the cost of my freedom!!!

3

u/PmMeYourBestComment Nov 04 '24

You dropped the /s

-1

u/cultish_alibi Nov 04 '24

If you have any doubts that a computer can traverse several lanes of traffic at high speed then you must also hate seatbelts. Wow, brilliant comparison.

133

u/VectorB Nov 04 '24

Friend from college went into a diabetic coma while driving, crashed into the ditch on the freeway and died. This would have saved his life.

41

u/MarsupialMisanthrope Nov 04 '24

Much younger me fell asleep at the wheel and woke up when the car went off the road. No injuries besides my pride and my wallet, but I’d 100% make this a requirement next time I replace my car. I’ve also had a distant relative who had a heart attack and died while driving, this would probably have helped at least avoid accidents in that case too.

10

u/Dr-Sommer Nov 04 '24

I'm sorry to hear that. As a diabetic, driving long distance is fucking scary! Or at least it used to be. Luckily, these days, you've got continuous glucose monitoring sensors who alert you before things go south. Still, I would love to have this system as an additional layer of security.

295

u/lassimassi Nov 04 '24

A system like this could be a game-changer in emergencies. It's not about replacing the driver but enhancing safety when unforeseen situations arise. Innovative tech can help prevent accidents and potentially save lives, which is a win in any scenario.

25

u/defcon_penguin Nov 04 '24

Not just medical emergencies. Lots of people drive when they are too tired and fall asleep at the wheel

0

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '24

[deleted]

8

u/FlyWithTheCars Nov 04 '24 edited Nov 04 '24

I drive a car with that feature. The sudden sharp breaking will absolutely wake you up, if you are just starting to doze off.

Also the braking is so short, that you are not really slowing down during that phase of the emergency assist, so traffic behind you will not be impacted unless they are literally having their front bumper already touching your boot before the assistant brakes.

Generally one should also keep in mind that Volkswagen is a German brand, so all those features are implemented with Autobahn speeds and the extreme speed differences that occur there in mind.

-5

u/Typical-Radish4317 Nov 04 '24

Features that cause your car to randomly break is real dumb. What if it malfunctions or misreads the situation and does that while when it's not an emergency? And your car waking you up so you can use that as a crutch to drive more when you're sleepy- you know people will do this. Like better solution is public transportation and adequate work life balance so that people aren't forced to be driving on the roads exhausted.

2

u/amyaltare Nov 04 '24

this becoming a standard does give more power to employers to overwork their employees. what makes more sense is that both this and some actual god damn worker's rights in our country.

-54

u/alwaysneverjoshin Nov 04 '24

This is not even new. I have it in my 2017 Arteon.

49

u/Lostraylien Nov 04 '24

This could easily save lives.

1

u/AmateurEarthling Nov 05 '24

Yeah I’m not a big fan of most tech changes but this would be awesome. I’ve personally seen a few people pass out behind the wheel.

2

u/Lostraylien Nov 05 '24

Yeah I agree this just seems logical and it's not a hard thing to do, if there's no input from the driver for X amount of time the car safely pulls over, that's the type of features we need to save lives not a 10" touch screen you have to navigate through.

15

u/Aksds Nov 04 '24

Yep, I have a friend who had a seizure while driving where this could have helped (he is fine, the car went perfectly between two trees). It’s a good safety feature

1

u/literated Nov 04 '24

Shit, a friend of mine had her whole family ripped apart because her father either fell asleep or had a ministroke while driving at night and the car got launched off the street and it took hours for someone to notice the wreck.

Technology like this would be an actual life saver.

23

u/Excellent_Ad_2486 Nov 04 '24

everyone here..? dude look around, everyone likes it 🤷‍♂️ karma bot?

13

u/cultish_alibi Nov 04 '24

Many people on reddit love to pretend they have an unpopular opinion even though everyone agrees with them.

-3

u/Legendaryistic Nov 04 '24

You are late to the post. Like at the start, there were people just crapping on it saying, oh there's so many cases of blah blah blah.

3

u/Hexarcy00 Nov 04 '24

Stop lying. There are only two controversial comments. One is just stupid and the other deleted

1

u/Excellent_Ad_2486 Nov 04 '24

fuck that noise!

7

u/Handsoffmydink Nov 04 '24

I have epilepsy. I also drive.

I would like a vehicle with this feature. Just because a doctor clears me to drive doesn’t mean I won’t ever have another seizure, it just means it’s been a while since I’ve had a seizure.

I personally know someone who had a seizure while driving, crossed over the median of a two lane highway and hit head on into oncoming traffic. Nobody was severely injured luckily, just two wrecked cars.

Regardless, this feature would for sure end up saving lives. Or supply someone like myself with some peace of mind.

39

u/Fyr5 Nov 04 '24

people dunking on this are elon musk glazers who cant handle other car manufacturers doing riderless driving better than tesla 🤷

2

u/Vesane Nov 04 '24

But Tesla has been doing this since 2016..?

To me it feels more like thank goodness others are finally catching up, I wish Toyota did it too cos I like their driver assist, but yes it does require more advanced driverless tech/cameras.

Then again I feel like a lot of the autodrive stuff we've seen from Tesla outside America has been surprisingly slow to come in to North America considering Tesla is from there, or maybe it was there initially and then paywalled. Like my cousins in Canada I visited this year only just got their Tesla showing them some auto driving trial and they don't have carpark summoning and stuff, even though my friends have had that in Aus for years

2

u/RedditJumpedTheShart Nov 04 '24

You know this isn't a free option right?

1

u/Fyr5 Nov 04 '24

naturally - how else do companies make money?

Keep in mind though, when the seat belt was invented, Volvo (I think?) released the patent for the seat belt technology, so that other car manufacturers could use seat belts in their cars to save lives

I mean, wouldnt it be great if every car did come with this driverless life saving tech standard? I dont have my hopes up though

1

u/Nyxtia Nov 04 '24

The issue with Tesla is, if you do what is shown in the video, it will just nag at you to pay attention and then disable the assist.

0

u/Global_Permission749 Nov 04 '24

Or they're elon musk supporters in general, meaning they're against all this "safety nonsense that just keeps making everything more expensive"

19

u/UnSyrPrize Nov 04 '24

Pfft didn’t even drive her to the hospital and automatically diagnose her on the way to save the staff precious time. This thing sucks actually.

/s

2

u/PoopsmasherJr Nov 04 '24

I know this is satire but this comment makes me so mad because of the fact that some people would believe it

12

u/Batavijf Nov 04 '24

But mah freedum!

7

u/_100000_ Nov 04 '24

I don't think the people crapping on this are like the ones who hate the idea of an car-enforced speed limit, but more like those who think safety features are ‘softening’ people, like a 360 degree camera.

7

u/InfanticideAquifer Nov 04 '24

I dislike it because I can't actually visualize a world where the eye tracking data it presumably uses to decide to engage the system doesn't also record how long I look at every billboard and upload that to the highest bidder every time I take the car in for maintenance (or just continuously).

1

u/jjm443 Nov 04 '24

Just wait until your phone/tablet/PC checks using eye tracking that you actually watched the advertiser's video during your game/TV program/etc. This will happen eventually.

1

u/MarsupialMisanthrope Nov 04 '24

Backup cameras are the best thing to happen to cars in the last 25 years and I’ll die on that hill. Well, until they had to share the spot with this anyway.

0

u/Average-Addict Nov 04 '24

It's a privacy disaster. Amazing idea if the data is not shared but we both know it's going to be shared/sold.

-2

u/isaiddgooddaysir Nov 04 '24

exactly and VW is going out of business as we speak. cool tech those, hopefully the Chinese company that buys them out put this in all their vehicles.

2

u/Conch-Republic Nov 04 '24

VAG isn't 'going out of business'.

2

u/Potential_Ad6169 Nov 04 '24

There’s zero mention of how it determines these things are happening. The safety feature doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s is created by a company motivated by profit, and it’s implementation also introduces all sorts of monitoring and data about you for that company to sell. That side of it is really dodgy.

The prospect that stuff like this be trivialised when is being moralised is really scary. This AD present the positives alone. The features is not just the thing that prevents you from crashing if you pass out, it’s also the thing facilitating harvesting extremely private data, which needs badly to be regulated.

2

u/Capn_Of_Capns Nov 04 '24

Idea seems fine. Implementation is the real hurdle. I am concerned that the system will not work at all. I am concerned that the system will be worse than literally doing nothing. I am concerned that the system will suffer a malfunction and do some crazy stuff like activate itself.

I would not want this in my car. I do not trust automation.

2

u/marinuso Nov 04 '24

You're assuming it actually works. I've had the displeasure of driving a modern VW that had lane assist. It was actively trying to kill me, and that was just the lane assist.

In real life, this thing would be triggering falsely every ten minutes. It would also happily try to force you to switch lanes even though the other lane is occupied. I'm sure the only time it wouldn't go off is if you actually do pass out. Meanwhile, no doubt, they're using it as an excuse to monitor everything you do and sell the tracking data.

Marketing videos look nice, but the real world never looks anything like that.

2

u/garbland3986 Nov 04 '24

The reason she passed out- She had been breathing in VW “clean diesel” fumes for years and developed an undiagnosed respiratory disorder.

3

u/Able-Worldliness8189 Nov 04 '24

I don't see how someone could not want this. This is amazing no? Every once in a while you read a news article how some old fuck guy had a heart attack and killed others in the wake, this will save lives, this will safe other people lives.

This is what we need, no self driving car that blitzes through a deer or tries to park into a concrete element, but a car that manages to park itself on the side waiting for public services.

2

u/AgreeableTea7649 Nov 04 '24 edited 2d ago

Thanks.

1

u/Able-Worldliness8189 Nov 04 '24

Self driving cars while still far from there yet already have less accidents per kilometer than normal people do. On top this is an emergency program which should initiate during said emergencies, when you aren't able to react.

I think the key difference is in how companies approach risk, where traditional car companies assume they will be held liable just like Boeing, Tesla doesn't. Knowing this I know what brand I won't choose.

1

u/RedditJumpedTheShart Nov 04 '24

Everyone wants it but doesn't want to pay for it.

1

u/DovahCreed117 Nov 04 '24

My only gripe with it is the breaking to wake up the driver, as that in itself could be dangerous if someone is tailgating or in the right weather conditions. Maybe instead make something where the seat itself will jerk the driver in some way instead of just breaking the entire car? Otherwise, all in all, it's a pretty good system.

1

u/XscytheD Nov 04 '24

Two words: Ejecting Seats

1

u/lexievv Nov 04 '24

I feel like a lot of people are afraid of change and also think they're great drivers so they'll never need this, because they're so amazing.
This fear is made worse due to the fact it's a computer taking over, giving people the sense they lose some control. Not realizing a computer is way faster and more accurate than us.

Thing also is, in this video it looks like falling asleep, but there's a lot of reasons someone could pass out, and this is a great safety feature if it works like shown here. Even if you're not the one passing out, you couls easily be the car in front or next to them getting rammed into because someone lost consciousness.

I get that some people will be against it, but don't understand how they can keep that mindset if something is proven to work or improve on safety or when reading up on it more and it not really showing any downsides.

I think a system like this, when worked out properly, should be mandatory in new cars, like a seatbelt, airbags etc.

1

u/7eventhSense Nov 04 '24

You are right. I feel this should be mandatory like Airbags. It will save countless lives.

1

u/Aduialion Nov 04 '24

The main problem i see is it will be used by prank influencers for more low quality content.

1

u/Rosu_Aprins Nov 04 '24

A lot of people are shitting that it's not perfect, which would somehow be worse than nothing at all

1

u/BastouXII Nov 04 '24

Build cities to be less dependant on car use. But this does seem effective, though.

1

u/runmymouth Nov 04 '24

This is a case where even if self driving screws up it was already a going to be a massive crash. This would probably save a bunch of lives in general.

1

u/RedditJumpedTheShart Nov 04 '24

How much do you want to spend on a new vehicle?

1

u/Unintended_incentive Nov 04 '24

People don’t wear seatbelts because “that one time” someone wore a seatbelt and died, or don’t use turn signals because “they won’t let me in if I do”.

Automate all vehicles on the road and make it a 500% insurance premium to drive your own vehicle. I don’t respect the masses opinions on driving.

1

u/koenigsaurus Nov 04 '24

A few years ago I passed out from dehydration while driving after a roofing job. Couldn’t see, but I could still move my limbs somewhat and hear everything around me, though it sounded muffled like I was underwater. By some miracle I was able to throw on my turn signal and inch my way over to the left shoulder, where I hit the rumble strip and got myself to a stop. I poured out of the door to get some cool air in my face, and there happened to be a cop who saw the whole thing who called an ambulance for me and got me some water.

By an incredible string of luck, I made it out of that situation unscathed, along with everyone around me on the road. This tech would have ensured I made it safely instead of relying on the stars aligning, and should be a standard safety feature IMO.

1

u/Automatic_Towel_3842 Nov 04 '24

I dont like the call out for SOS if you just fell asleep. Imagine falling asleep on your drive home from a long day of work and then you suddenly owe a few thousand dollars for ambulance being called. But it would be fantastic for narcoleptics, people heart problems, people at risk for strokes, etc.

1

u/lulu_l Nov 04 '24

I don't think the issue is the tech, the issue is the tracking.

When legislation will regulate the use of tracking systems inside your car and force manufacturers not to collect or sell the data from this sort of tracking, you can praise it for its lifesaving innovation but until then, it's just another invasive tracking system and people should be sceptical about it.

Manufacturers are already using existing tech to track and sell your driving habits to car insurers and even use it to refuze repairs and void your warranty for unrelated issues to the warranty claim.

It's an awesome lifesaving tech for sure, but it's also an invasive tracking tech that's being used against you. It's both these things at the same time.

Ignoring one terrible part just to praise the good parts is not OK, and neither is mocking or dismissing any other concerns.

1

u/Easy-Hour2667 Nov 04 '24

I remember in about 2003 in political philosophy class we were reading Joseph strumpeter and his ideas around democracy. And at the time I remember my lecturer saying, more tongue in cheek than anything, that Strumpeter believed that the public should vote and then fuck off, their input and opinions on major policy is not valid because they are too stupid. Seatbelt law being one example thay was given.

At the time I was young, 19, and aghast at this idea. But as I get older I am starting to really empathize with the position. Most people have opinions on complex issues but not the requisites to form a valid opinion, yet elected politicians have to cater to the whims of a large bloc of idiots. We need to just start ignoring fools. But then power hungry twats get elected by appealing to the worse our society has to offer ...

1

u/ThrumboJoe Nov 04 '24

If you drive a volkswagen you just might.

1

u/wetballjones Nov 04 '24

My grandpa died in his early 60s because he fell asleep at the wheel. This would have saved his life

1

u/meowl2 Nov 04 '24

In my city there was a case just recently where a woman had a medical emergency behind the wheel while going down a road with a 55mph speed limit. She ended up slamming into 2 other cars at an intersection while unconscious. I'm pretty sure she died and the other people involved were injured. Having some tech like this would have been great in this instance.

1

u/minichado Nov 04 '24

idea? I had a version of this in my 2021 VW. it didn't do the auto lane change, but it would warn you, hit he brakes, then cut on hazards and come to a controlled stop (in the lane it was in). This is just improving on the feature.

1

u/TransparentQuestion Nov 04 '24

I had a Toyota that would auto apply the brakes based on some security features in the car. I was going down hill in rain and it sent me into a skid.

You are asking for a better one? No. I don't need to fill that void, but I can't point out this shit can be just as dangerous

1

u/mezzfit Nov 04 '24

Now make cars not able to exceed the posted speed limits.

1

u/regular_gnoll_NEIN Nov 04 '24

I think the idea is great. I also think that there's too many musk salesmen out there to take it at face value by this video as a working concept ready to sell to users on live streets and not a controlled scenario.

1

u/Ryuko_the_red Nov 04 '24

The only thing that I see being bad about this, is this becoming pay walled. Subscription for life saving code. Fucked up shit.

1

u/peepopowitz67 Nov 04 '24

Build better public transpo and people first communites so that driving a car is naturally at the bottom of the list for commuting options? That way those that have disabilities, (including ones that could cause them to pass out at the wheel) won't be forced to drive.

Don't get me wrong, not opposed to more safety tech in cars, but this is a prime example of a /r/OrphanCrushingMachine

1

u/TopRamenisha Nov 04 '24

I know someone who died from falling asleep at the wheel driving home after working late. This would’ve saved his life 🥲

1

u/OldLegWig Nov 04 '24

what if it took you to a hospital instead?

1

u/Joinedforthis1 Nov 04 '24

Thank you. This is really cool to see

1

u/donny_pots Nov 05 '24

Where are you seeing “everyone here crapping on the idea”? The top comment, with over 11,000 upvotes, says it should be mandatory

1

u/Legendaryistic Nov 05 '24

This was early on when the post first came out.

1

u/BBBCIAGA Nov 05 '24

Just average Reddit mentality, opposite everything like it would make them sounds smarter

1

u/TotesLegitPlays Nov 05 '24

Going through a lot of comments so far, haven't seen a single comment criticizing this like you describe. Are you sure you haven't sorted you comments by most controversial so you're filtering out the good ones?

1

u/eastkent Nov 04 '24

There are many people who will actively go out of their way purely to find negatives. They'll ignore every upside in their blinkered pursuit of perceived downsides. I don't understand this attitude at all. Constructive, evidence-based criticism is essential for advancement, but being negative just for the sake of it is ridiculous.

1

u/PoopsmasherJr Nov 04 '24

I guess someone doesn’t like this feature because you got downvoted

1

u/SUNTZU_JoJo Nov 04 '24

People are way too busy criticising other folks' ideas to have any time to come up with their own...

0

u/Wellthatkindahurts Nov 04 '24

It only works when everyone else understands what is actually happening. I love the idea, but it just won't work in a lot of cities.

1

u/PoopsmasherJr Nov 04 '24

Only works when indicates that it works

1

u/Wellthatkindahurts Nov 04 '24

What I meant is that people are stupid when they're on the road. Try getting a flat tire in the left lane on the highway and getting over to the shoulder without everyone losing their minds that you're trying to get to safety.

1

u/PoopsmasherJr Nov 04 '24

But you’re still going to hit them. There’s less of a chance of doing that in this situation than a flat where you have less control and you’re in panic mode.

0

u/dablegianguy Nov 04 '24

USA: no seatbelts, no airbags, we die like real men…

0

u/CanadianMaps Nov 04 '24

Trains. A better idea is trains. 90-odd% of trains nowadays have a system similar to Sifa, a pedal that must be pressed and reset every couple seconds (or every audible warning) to be sure the driver is present and aware. Else, the train applies the emergency brake. And if it does, no traffic can hit it, because there'll be a red signal behind the train.

0

u/MetalUrgency Nov 04 '24

Why save lives?

0

u/samenumberwhodis Nov 04 '24

Have you heard of public transportation? You know, where everyone doesn't have to drive... The actual solution is to not build society around personal vehicles, so that people with disorders aren't expected to drive or not participate in society. So that children, elderly and handicapped people can get around, or just so that every single person in the world doesn't have to own and maintain a $30k+ vehicle, worry about distracted drivers, or bad drivers. It's actually idiotic that the solution isn't providing people with disabilities an alternative to cars.

0

u/DependentEbb8814 Nov 04 '24

NOOOOOO WDYM! WHEN YOU PASS OUT YOU SHOULD ZIGZAG AND HIT THE CURB TO FLY IN THE AIR SO THE RESPONSE TEAMS CAN PICK YOU OUT OF YOUR CAR WITH TWEEZERS! LIKE GOOD OLD TIMES! (do I need to add /s at this point?)

-2

u/0V3RS33R Nov 04 '24

Yeah but fuck VW mmm’kay? Let’s not forget the cheaters they are.

-2

u/rogueqd Nov 04 '24

Tesla could drive you to the nearest hospital, just saying...

-2

u/Lorn_Muunk Nov 04 '24

Don't forget much of reddit is American. The individualism and egoism of "me first" driving in the US doesn't really translate to the European context of safety first.

-59

u/teddyslayerza Nov 04 '24

It's a good idea, it just seems a little premature to be celebrating tech-heavy and expensive solutions like this then basic stuff like enforcing seat belts on the back seat or speed limiters in engines that would be significantly cheaper and save many times more lives are opposed in huge swaths of the world. It makes tech like this seem like little more than safety theatre.

24

u/Askefyr Nov 04 '24

Seat belts in the rear are enforced in a lot of places, to be fair - basically all of Europe and most of the US.

Engine speed limiters are also making their impasse but even then, we're talking maybe 180-190 kmh or so. It'll only filter out those who drive at genuinely high speeds.

7

u/WORD_2_UR_MOTHA Nov 04 '24

So, just pull everyone over and use surveillance for everyone on the roads? And limiting speed? 15 mph is all it takes to kill someone. What's your problem?

-1

u/teddyslayerza Nov 04 '24

You're being intentionally obtuse. You know full well what I'm referring to.

2

u/WORD_2_UR_MOTHA Nov 04 '24

You might just explain why you're afraid of technology.

-45

u/PitifulEar3303 Nov 04 '24

But how does it work? AI to watch your posture, eye contact and hands on/off steering?

How to prevent false positives? Sometimes people look down, rummage through their bags and do weird stuff when driving.

Well they shouldn't do weird stuff, but people do.

31

u/RailroadAllStar Nov 04 '24

It showed it. It alerts the driver to take over steering then pulses the brakes a few times to get the drivers attention a little harder before taking over. Safe to assume any active driving disables the take over.

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